Embossing tool with radial tape feed path



R. s. AVERY 3,155,215

EMBOSSING TOOL WITH RADIAL TAPE FEED PATH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 3, 1964Filed Jan. 30, 1963 a J 7/ F 16.4

G 5 INVENTOR RAY s. A ERY FIG.2

ATTORNEYS Nov. 3, 1964 R. s. AVERY 3,155,215

EMBOSSING TOOL. WITH RADIAL TAPE FEED PATH Filed Jan. 30, 1963 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RAY S AVERY aw ww J y m 9 W LU km mm m WV e as.mm H N L W my w AT TO RNE YS United States Patent 3 155,215 EMBGSSTNGTOGL Wt- TH RABEAL TAPE FEED FATE Ray S. Avery, Bradbury, Qaiii,assignor to Avery Eroducts Corporation, a corporation of Eahrornta FiledJan. 3%, 1953, Ser. No. 255,033 8 (Ila-rims. (Cl. 197-6.?)

This invention relates to embossing tools of the same general type asdisclosed in US. Patents 2,275,670; 2,415,526; and 3,606,451.

Tools of this general type are used to emboss on strip material symbolsselected from a set which may include all alpha-numeric characters, aswell as additional symbols. Like a typist, the user sequentially selectsthe desired symbols to compose one or more words or other information.The selection is accomplished by dialing or rotating a pair of die discsto position at an embossing station any one of a set of pairs ofcorresponding male and female embossing dies. The selected die pair isthen actuated, as by squeeze handles, to emboss the chosen character onthe strip material.

The strip may be automatically advance to position it for reception of asucceeding symbol. This may be accomplished by a suitable intermittentarrangement for advancing the strip or tape between embossingoperations.

esirably, this advance occurs immediately following each embossingoperation, as by release of the squeeze iandles which have been squeezedto perform the embossing,

An inconvenience of prior tools of the same general type has been thefact that the operator has no way of determining what particular symbolhas been embossed until several subsequent embossing steps have beenperformed, unless special means are provided, as in US. Patent3,006,451, to allow the operator to maintain registration whileadvancing and retracting the strip to view the most recently embossedcharacter. The present invention makes it possible to provide forvisibility of the most recently embossed character immediately followingthe embossing step without having to specially advance and retract thetape and without any need for special meals to maintain properlongitudinal register of the strip following such advancing andretracting.

A serious inconvenience of embossers of the prior art has been thehandedness of these tools. Tools designed for right-handed personscannot be conveniently used by left-handed persons and vice versa. Aparticular advan tage of the present invention is that handedness isminimized or altogether eliminated.

Another important feature of the present invention is the provision of atool where forming operations other than embossing, such as stripcut-off or severing operations, may be called for by proper.dialing ofthe die discs, to be then performed at the embossing station. Thisstation may therefore be more generally referred to as the formingstation of the device.

The invention contemplates an arrangement in which the strip of materialbeing embossed is guided along a path which at the embossing or formingstation is at a remote angular distance from the tangential, so as to becloser to radial than to tangential. This is to be contrasted with othertypes of devices which involve a feed of the strip material between thetwo die discs in a direction that is substantially tangential, or atleast is closer to tangential than to radial. In one ii iportant aspect,the present invention may involve a coincidence between the ta e feedpath and the radial direction, and a direct feeding or" the stripmaterial across the centers of the die discs and hen directly throughthe forming or em ossing station. By this means, handedness of the toolmay be entirely eliminated. Although the center is open, registra-3,l55,2l5 Patented Nov. 3., 1964 tion is positively maintained betweenthe pair of die discs as more fully set forth below.

in the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan View of a tool embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of the device seen in FEGURE 1, but no tapeis shown.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional viewof the tool shown in FIGURE 1 but with a cut-oi? die pair positioned atthe forming station rather than the symbol or character A, and with thetape omitted.

FIGURES 4, 5, 6, and 7 are fragmentary views taken respectively from theplanes of lines 44, -5, 66, and 7-7 in FIGURE 3.

FlGURE 8 is a partly broken away median vertical sectional View of thetool shown in FIGURE 1, but for clarity the tape shown in FIGURE 1 isomitted from the leftward broken-away portion of the drawing. In theright hand portion of the drawing the tape is indicated.

FZGURE 9 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the plane of line 99in FTGURE 8, but with the tape illustrated in position in the guidetrack at the plane of the view.

Body Structure The device illustrated in the drawings is merelyexemplary. It may include a hollow molded plastic body portion having aside wall 11 and a corresponding closure wall or side wall 12 (FIGURE2). Hinge shafts l3 and id (FIGURE 8) are formed in the body portion 11and extend to the side wall 12. Additional internal bridging members areformed between the side walls 11 and 12 including the bridging member 15and the wall 16 so that when the two halves are fastened together byadhesive bonding or by suitable mechanical fasteners (not shown) a rigidhollow tool base is provided.

Hinged to the shaft 13 is a handle or lever member 29 which is shown inits lowermost position in FIGURE 8 and which is retained against furtherlowering by a lip 21 engaging a transverse flange extending from theside wall portion lllt.

Also hinged on the shaft 13 is an upper housing member 22. A lowerhousing member 23 is bolted to the upper housing member 22 (FIGURES 8and 9) but is spaced below member 22 by means of bushing members 24 and25 and a spacer 26 (FIGURE 9). Extending partly along the tool andbetween the bushings 24 and 25 is a tape guide track 27 The lowerhousing member 23 is riveted to the bridge 15 (FIGURE 8) and rests onthe upper edges of the side walls 11 and 12. A transverse lip 28(FIGURES l, 8) on the lower housing member 23 engages the underside ofedges 29 (FIGURE 8) on the upper housing member 22.

A spring 31 extends between the rivet connection and the handle or lever2%. A pawl-and-ratchet linkage carried on the lever 25 and between sidewalls 11 and 12 includes an intermittently advanced ratchet wheel keyedto a tape feed roller 32 (FTGURE 8). A small idler roller 33 is carriedbetween the side flanges of an upper hinged cover plate 34 which ishinged to the shaft 14. As the cover plate 34 is closed, the roller 33approaches tire roller 32. The hinged cover plate 34 is provided withlower projections 35' that extend between the walls 11 and 12 in theclosed position of the cover plate 34 to be releasably engaged by asliding latch 36. The latch as is biased to closed position by a spring37 extending from a spring housing The latch as extends through slots 39formed in the side walls ill and 12 and terminates in exterior tabs 41which may be manipulated to release the latch.

The lower part of the lower body portion between the side walls 11 and12 forms a chamber for receiving a roll of strip material to beembossed. The back of the strip material or tape may be provided with asuitable adhesive which is protected by a backing tape designed to bestripped from the labels formed by the tool prior to the application ofthe labels onto a mounting surface. It a protective backing tape isprovided, the combined tape is preferably rolled in such a manner thatthe backing tape is radially inside the embossing tape. The tape isthreaded into the device by being placed on the roll 32 and onto thetrack 27 while the cover plate 34 is open. Closing the cover plate gripsthe tape between the intermittent drive rolls 32 and 33. The tape isalso guided and held in position by a spring 43 carried on the coverplate 34. The threaded tape is intermittently advanced along the guidetrack 27 by squeezing and releasing the handle 20. It is to be notedthat the tape remains stationary as the handle 26 is squeezed or rasiedbecause the ratchet wheel is held against rotation by the illustratedholding pawl supported on the member is. The tape advances as the handle249 is released.

Die Discs Mounted respectively on the bushings 2d and 25 and held apartby the spacing members 2% are upper and lower die discs 51 and 52. Thedie discs 51 and '2 are in apposition and are rotatably tied together bya spur gear 53, which en ages the gear teeth 54 and 55 formedrespectively at the peripheries of the die discs St and The spur gear 53is rotatably carried between the upper and lower housing members 22 and235. The upper and lower die discs carry a set of pairs of correspondingforming dies including both embossing dies and cut-oil dies. The femalemember of each pair of embossing dies is carried on the upper embossingdisc 51. The lower member of each pair of dies, embossing or cut-off, iscarried on the lower die disc 52 and is separated from its neighbors byslots 56, to thereby separate the lower die disc into a plurality ofradially extending fingers 57 (FIGURE 8). It should be evident that thedies carried by each disc face along the direction of the axis of thedisc rather than facing along the directions of radii extending from thecentral axis of the disc. A detent 58 carried by the upper housingmember 22 engages positioning detent grooves 59 (FIGURE 1) formed in theupper die disc, each pair of embossing dies and cut-off dies having anassociated diametrically opposed groove 59. Mounting screws er for anupper cut-oil die are circumferentially positioned so that they do notdirectly interfere with the grooves 59. The radially extending fingers:57 are resilient and are adapted to be selectively engaged by aspring-loaded die actuator plunger 63 which is biased downwardly butwhich is -forced upwardly upon depression of the handle it? by acarnming lug Cut-O]? Dies More than one type of cut-o5 die may beprovided if desired, although in the illustrated device only a singlepair of cut-oil dies is shown. Provision of a plurality of dies may bedesirable for the purpose of forming different types of label ends. Forexample, it may be sometimes desirable to form pointed ends on thelabels and an appropriately shaped pair of cut-oil dies could beprovided in addition to the illustrated pair.

The illustrated pair of dies includes an upper die memer 7?. and a lowerdie member 72. The upper die member includes a pair of arcuate cutters74. The radially outermost one of these cuts against the ribs 75 formedon the radially outermost part of the lower die member 72. Theprotectively backed strip material tends to be completely severed by theradially outer cutter 74 where the ribs '75 register with it, and tendsto be severed only through the facing tape and not through theprotective a backing tape at points where the ribs 75 do not registerwith the radially outer cutter 74.

The outer cutter 74- presses against the flat depressed face locatedradially inwardly of the ribs '75. The protectively backed stripmaterial tends to be severed only through the facing tape and notthrough the protec tive backing tape by this cutting action.

The result is to cut an end starting tab as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Thefacing tape has a leading edge formed at 77 (FIGURE 1). The trailingedge of the preceding label is formed in register With what is to becomethe edge '78 shown in FIGURE 1. The protective backing tape is partiallyperforated at what is to become the edge 78, but remtins attached untilit is manually separated at the perforations. At this time, the edge 78is formed. The portion of the backing tape between the edges 77 and "l-E comprises astarting tab '79 for the subsequent label to be embossedand cut oil. The upper cutting die is re placeable by loosening thescrews 61. The lower cutting die is replaceable by lifting the radiallyextending cutting die arm out of the dovetail connection 81 (FIGURE 4)in which it is mounted on the body or" the lower die member :52 and inwhich it is retained by the central spacer member 25 (FIGURE 9).

Operation The viewing window 83 indicates the selected pair of dies,whether embossing dies or cut-ofii dies. If embossing dies are selected,the selected character is embossed as the handle 26 is fully depressed.As the handle is released, the tape is advanced so that the characterwhich has just been embossed appears immediately beyond the edge of theembossing dies. Thus in FIGURE 1, the character A appears as the handle2% is released following an embossing operation.

If cut-oil dies are selected, the tape is severed as the handle 2% isfully depressed. In order to provide spacing between words and betweenthe ends of each label and the words or messages embossed on it, thehandle 20 may be depressed only suiliciently for the pawl 30 to snapover one tooth of the ratchet wheel. The proportioning of the parts issuch that this occurs prior to the time that the actuator plunger 63causes the embossing die pair or cut-off die pair positioned at theforming station to emboss or cut-oil the strip material. Accordingly, ifthe user releases the handle immediately upon hearing the click, thetape advances without an embossing or cut-oil operation. The user mayconveniently rapidly depress and click the handle in this manner toadvance the tape. To perform an embossing or cut-oil operation,depending upon the particularly selected die pair, the user depressesthe handle Ztl until he hears the click and continues to depress it toactuate the selected die pair.

It should be evident that the device may be operated with equalconvenience by left-handed and right-handed persons.

This application is a copending application with respect to myapplication Serial No. 230,972, filed October 16, 1962, now abanoned infavor of the present application.

The invention is not restricted to the slavish imitation of each andevery one of the details and features described above which have beenset forth merely by way of example with the intent of most fully settingforth the teaching of the invention. Obviously devices may be providedwhich change, eliminate or add certain features of orientation orconfiguration, or which make other structural modifications, all Withoutdeparting from the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a manual tool for embossing a continuous strip of material, twoapposed die discs with an axially facing circular array of die elementsrotatively tied together for selection of any one of a set of pairs ofcorresponding dies carried on the discs and for positioning the selectedpair of dies on opposite sides of the strip of material at a stripforming station, means for positively maintaining registration betweenpairs of corresponding dies on the die discs, actuator means foractuating the pair of dies which are positioned at the strip formingstation, means for guiding the strip of material along a path thedirection of which at said forming station is angularly remote from thetangential direction so as to be closer to radial than to tangential,said set of pairs of corresponding dies including pairs of embossingdies and at least one pair of cut-off dies whereby actuation of saidactuator means causes an embossing or cut-off operation depending uponthe rotative position of the die discs, said pairs of embossing dies andsaid pair of cut-off dies all being at the same radial distance from thecenters of the die discs whereby if desired said strip may be cut-offimmediately adjacent the embossments formed therein without backing upsaid strip material.

2. In a manual tool for emubossing a continuous strip of material, twoapposed die discs rotatively tied together for selection of any one of aset of pairs of corresponding dies carried on the discs and forpositioning the selected pair of dies on opposite sides of the strip ofmaterial at a strip forming station, means for positively maintainingregistration between pairs of corresponding dies on the die discs,actuator means for actuating the pair of dies which are positioned atthe strip forming station, means for guiding the strip of material alongthe direction of the length of the tool and across the centers of thedie discs and hence through the forming station whereby the strip movesdirectly radially outwardly of the die discs as it leaves the formingstation along the direction of the length of the tool.

3. In a manual tool for embossing a continuous strip of material, twoapposed die discs rotatively tied together for selection of any one of aset of pairs of corresponding dies carried on the discs and forpositioning the selected pair of dies on opposite sides of the strip ofmaterial at a strip forming station, a geared connection between saiddie discs for positively maintaining registration between the pairs ofcorresponding dies of the die discs while leaving open the space betweenthe centers of the die discs, means for guiding the strip of materialalong the direction of the length of the tool and across the centers ofthe die discs through said open space and thence through the formingstation and radially away from the die discs.

4. An embossing tool for embossing a continuous strip of material, saidtool having a body along which a strip is longitudinally forwardly fed,complementary die discs on said body, the strip being guided for feedingbetween said die discs, a strip feed roller disposed rearwardly of saiddie discs, means for intermittently rotating said feed roller to advancesaid strip between said die discs, a hollow body compartment locatedrearwardly of said feed roller, a cover pivotally associated with saidbody and covering said hollow body compartment when in closed position,a second roller mounted on said cover and adapted to engage against saidfirst-mentioned roller when the cover is closed and to open away fromsaid first-mentioned roller when said cover is opened to respectivelyhold and release the strip from feeding engagement by said rollers whensaid cover is opened and thereby allow easy retraction of excess tapepulled or fed out of the tool.

5. In a manual tool for embossing a continuous strip of material, bodystructure defining a clear path for the strip, two apposed rotatable diediscs with axially facing die elements thereon rotatively tied togetherfor selection of any one of a set of pairs of corresponding dies carriedon the discs and for positioning the selected pair of dies on oppositesides of the strip of material at a strip forming station, means forguiding said strip of material for outfeeding from said forming stationin a radial outfeed direction such that the edges of the outfeedingstrip are parallel to and on opposite sides of an imaginary planecontaining the axes of the die discs, intermittent drive means foradvancing said strip of material, and actuator means for actuating thepair of dies which are positioned at the strip forming station.

6. In a manual tool for embossing a continuous strip of material, bodystructure defining a clear path for the strip, two apposed rotatable diediscs with axially facing die elements thereon rotatively tied togetherfor selection of any one of a set of pairs of corresponding dies carriedon the discs and for positioning the selected pair of dies on oppositesides of the strip of material at a strip forming station, means forguiding said strip of material for outfeeding from said forming stationin a radial outfeed direction such that the edges of the outfeedingstrip are parallel to and on opposite sides of an imaginary planecontaining the axes of the die discs, intermittent drive means foradvancing said strip of material, actuator means for actuating the pairof dies which are positioned at the strip forming station, said actuatormeans including means for actuating the intermittent drive means betweenembossing operations to advance said strip a sufficient distanceradially outwardly of said forming station so that the just-formedportion of said strip becomes visible beyond the periphery of said diediscs.

7. In a manual tool for embossing a continuous strip of material, twoapposed die discs with an axially facing circular array of die elementsrotatively tied together for selection of any one of a set of pairs ofcorresponding dies carried on the discs and for positioning the selectedpair of dies on opposite sides of the strip of material at a stripforming station, means for positively maintaining registration betweenpairs of corresponding dies on the die discs, actuator means foractuating the pair of dies which are positioned at the strip formingstation, means for guiding the strip of material along a path thedirection of which at said forming station is angularly remote from thetangential direction so as to be closer to radial than to tangential,said sets of pairs of corresponding dies including pairs of embossingdies and at least one pair of cut-oil dies whereby actuation of saidactuator means causes an embossing or cut-olf operation depending uponthe rotative position of the die discs, said pairs of embossing dies andsaid pair of cut-off dies all being at the same radial distance from thecenters of the die discs whereby if desired said strip may be cut-oft"immediately adjacent the embossments formed therein without backing upsaid strip material, said guide means comprising means for guiding saidstrip of material for outfeeding from said forming station in a radialoutfeed direction such that the edges of the outfeeding strip areparallel to an imaginary plane containing the axes of the die discs.

8. In a manual tool for embossing a continuous strip of material, twoapposed die discs rotatively tied together for selection of any one of aset of pairs of corresponding dies carried on the discs and forpositioning the selected pair of dies on opposite sides of the strip ofmaterial at References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 687,168 Roovers Nov. 19, 1901 775,354 Roovers Nov. 22, 19041,360,115 Pannier et a1 May 24, 1932 2,079,236 Zipf May 4, 1937 1,424Rexford et al Nov. 12, 1940 ,201 Rowan Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 155 215 November 3- 1964Ray S. Avery It is hereby certified that error appears in the abovenumbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patentshould read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 25 after intermittent" insert feed column 4, line I4 for"-remtins" read remains line l"? for "astarting" read a starting line 33for "dies" read discs same column 4 line 59 for ."abanoned" readabandoned column 5 line 19 for "emubbssing" read embossing column 6,line 39, for "sets" read set Signed and sealed this 6th day of April1965 (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner ofPatents

6. IN A MANUAL TOOL FOR EMBOSSING A CONTINUOUS STRIP OF MATERIAL, BODYSTRUCTURE DEFINING A CLEAR PATH FOR THE STRIP, TWO APPOSED ROTATABLE DIEDISCS WITH AXIALLY FACING DIE ELEMENTS THEREON ROTATIVELY TIED TOGETHERFOR SELECTION OF ANY ONE OF A SET OF PAIRS OF CORRESPONDING DIES CARRIEDON THE DISCS AND FOR POSITIONING THE SELECTED PAIR OF DIES ON OPPOSITESIDES OF THE STRIP OF MATERIAL AT A STRIP FORMING STATION, MEANS FORGUIDING SAID STIP OF MATERIAL FOR OUTFEEDING FROM SAID FORMING STATIONIN A RADIAL OUTFEED DIRECTION SUCH THAT THE EDGES OF THE OUTFEEDINGSTRIP ARE PARALLEL TO AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF AN IMAGINARY PLANECONTAINING THE AXES OF THE DIE DISCS, INTERMITTENT DRIVE MEANS FORADVANCING SAID STRIP OF MATERIAL, ACTUATOR MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE PAIROF DIES WHICH ARE POSITIONED AT THE STRIP FORMING STATION, SAID ACTUATORMEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE INTERMITTENT DRIVE MEANS BETWEENEMBOSSING OPERATIONS TO ADVANCE SAID STRIP A SUFFICIENT DISTANCERADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID FORMING STATION SO THAT THE JUST-FORMEDPORTION OF SAID STRIP BECOMES VISIBLE BEYOND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID DIEDISCS.